A glimmer of hope is good
Barely a week ago, a Saskatchewan Roughriders victory was less probable than the Libertarian Party forming government.
Sure enough, the Roughriders suffered a 30-5 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos on July 31 at Commonwealth Stadium — a setback that left Saskatchewan with the CFL’s worst record (0-6).
The odds are still not favourable as the Roughriders prepare to return to action today against the host Toronto Argonauts.
But at least there is a glimmer of hope.
That is a pronounced contrast to last week, when the Roughriders were facing an utterly hopeless situation.
Their rookie quarterback, Brett Smith, was preparing to make his first professional start … with only one full day of practice … against a carnivorous Eskimos defence … on the road. Ouch.
The game unfolded as any realistic observer would have expected.
This time around, however, Smith — who has been thrust into front-line duty due to injuries to veteran pivots Darian Durant and Kevin Glenn — has had a full week of practice.
Saskatchewan also has the benefit of eight days between games, whereas the Argonauts (3-2) are coming off Monday’s 34-18 road loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Now, it is the Argonauts’ turn to have only one full practice — a session that took place without a full roster.
Receiver-returner Chad Owens, who is one of the league’s premier playmakers, will miss today’s game with a troublesome ankle.
The Argos’ expansive list of injured players also includes quarterback Ricky Ray, centre Jeff Keeping, linebacker Cory Greenwood, slotback Anthony Coombs, all-purpose kicker Swayze Waters, safety Jermaine Gabriel and defensive back Matt Black. So, suddenly, the banged-up Roughriders do not have a monopoly on impactful injuries.
The Argonauts have been able to weather the absence of Ray thanks to a series of sterling performances by understudy Trevor Harris — who threw four touchdown passes July 5 as Toronto posted a 42-40 double-overtime victory on Taylor Field.
Yet, the Roughriders’ oftmaligned defence had held Toronto to 11 points through three quarters of that game. And when the Argos did fatten that point total, it was the result of a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Saskatchewan was able to harness Toronto’s offence for much of that game. Now, the Roughriders get a second look at Harris, with a defence that seems to be progressing.
Against Edmonton, the Roughriders were trailing 10-5 in the third quarter before Smith was intercepted on back-to-back passes — miscues that gave Edmonton 10 gift-wrapped points.
The Saskatchewan defence was actually vastly improved, as evidenced by its season-high total of five sacks.
Did the Edmonton game provide an indication that the Saskatchewan defence, which was advertised as an aggressive unit, is actually capable of exerting consistent pressure?
If so, perhaps the Roughriders can take Harris out of his comfort zone and perhaps force Toronto into a (gasp!) turnover.
The law of averages has to be in Saskatchewan’s favour. Through six games, the Roughriders have registered but one interception — by middle linebacker Jake Doughty.
One-third of the regular season has elapsed and a Saskatchewan defensive back has yet to register an interception. This is highly irregular.
Surely, the heretofore luckless Roughriders are overdue for a game-changing play … a tipped ball … an unforced error by the opposition … anything.
Saskatchewan’s misfortunes to date defy probability. So perhaps the team can, in turn, win a game that it is widely expected to lose.
Logic dictates that Saskatchewan should fall to 0-7 for only the third time in franchise history, following a rich tradition established by the 1959 and 1979 editions.
The Argonauts are playing a winless team at home, and thus should be favoured to win.
But there are reasons to suspect that the Roughriders should at least be competitive.
Unlike last season, Saskatchewan’s special teams — co-ordinated by Bob Dyce — are not a chronic liability.
The defence, when last seen in game action, began to perform in the manner that head coach Corey Chamblin had envisioned.
Moreover, the offence should be better, now that Smith has had a reasonable period of time in which to work with a unit that had been producing league-leading totals with Durant and Glenn at the controls.
So we’re saying there’s a chance.